Angularly adjustable ball bumper



June 16, 19523 R.. MOLONEY ErAL 2,642,290

ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE BALL BUMPER -Fi1ed Dec. so. 1948 A' Pa' mandy." alone 18C 7L/enum: ez'aerzy f@ `wiff Patented June 16, 1953 ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE` BALL BUMPERV Raymond T. Moloney and Herman L. Seiden,

Chicago, Ill.; Moloney said Seiden assignor -to said Application December 30, lli/18,1 Serial No. 68,296"

7 claims. (01.722734-118) This invention pertains to bal-l rolling games and has as its principal object the provision of a controlled ball bumper mechanism and actuating means therefor adapted to regulate the facility with which a ball directed thereat may negotiate a pre-determined scoring passage or be blocked from said passage altogether.

Viewed from another aspect, it is an object of the invention to provide what is termed for'con-` venience a percentage bumper, including one or more pivoted bumper elements and mechanism` Vcontrolled by playing of the game for periodically shifting the angular relation of the bumpers in such manner as to open and close a ball passage with intermediate degrees of closure which prey determines the relative facility with which a ball may pass between the bumpers to operate a scoring switch or the like, and in that sense regulate the percentageor frequency of probable operations of the scoring switch by a ball striking or approaching said percentage bumpers in various manners.

More particularly, it is an object to providein a ball rolling game a percentage bumper mechanism including a pair of pivoted bumpers guarding the approach to a ball switch, together with electro-magnetic mechanism for pivoting the bumpers in such manner as to open, narrow, or close altogether the approach to the scoring switch; and further, to provide an operating circuit controlled by some other ball scoring switch or instrumentality, such as another bumper, situated in the ball playing eld in which the aforesaid percentage bumper is utilized.

Additional objects andaspects of novelty and Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram'with parts 'ofthe percentage bumper shown schematically.

Referring to Fig. l, the board Ill has mounted thereon a conventional ball bumper I2 including switch contacts i3 yand I4 for connection in a -control circuit to be described hereinafter, and it is to be understood that in the usual game a plurality `of additional ball bumpers of theconventional type indicated at I5 will be disposed-v kstrategically over the surface of the board [Il and vhave switches connected in various scoring circuits (not shown) in a manner well-known in the-art. t l

The novel percentage bumper means, as shown in Fig, l, includes apair of elongated bumper elements I8 and I9, each having a rubber rebound band ISA and ISA, respectively. Each of said bumpers is mounted on a pivot post ISB and I 9B, respectively, as by screw means 29.

The pivot posts IBB and ISB pass through the board It and rest on a mounting plate 22, which is screwed to the underside of the board I0.

The mounting plate 22 and the percentage bumpers, along with the actuating mechanism, are constructed as a unit of the type illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

The posts I8B and ISB each have reduced key portions (not seen) which pass through the plate 22 and respectively engage in key slots in corresponding, meshed, gear disks IBC and ISC on the under side of the mounting plate 22, as in Fig. 3, the assembly being completed by mounting screws 24 turned home against spring washers 25,

Actuating mechanism for the bumpers includes a unidirectional ratchet means 26 fixed for rotation on the under sider of plate 22 yand drivingly connected with one of the gears I8C (Fig. 3) by means of a crank link 21 eccentrically attached to the gear disk as at 28 and to the ratchet wheel as at 29. A holding pawl 30 is staked into the plate and yieldably urged into the ratchet teeth by spring 3|. f

' Mountedv coaxially with the ratchet wheel 26 isa lever 32 vyieldingly urged against a stop pin 33 by spring 34 hooked at one end on lever 32 and workingA against pin 35 at its opposite end.

A ratchet pawl 36 is pivoted on lever 32 and urged into the ratchet teeth by spring 3l.

Means for oscillating the Ilever 32 includes a solenoid 40 `mounted on the plate and having plunger 4I Aengaged by pin and slot means 42 with.

lever 32so thatwhen vthe solenoid is energized plunger 4Il is Ldrawn Adownwardly -(in Fig. 3) thereby rotating the. ratchet wheel 26 and'turningy .the gear I.8C through the described crank cony nection, withthe result that gear' ISCV is turned simultaneously ya like amount, and the two bumpers IB--and I9 are rotated, in a sense toward.

by the arrows in Figs..

Assuming that the ball B `shown yin full lines in Fig. 1 were to strike bumper P2 along the dotted line of travel indicated, -to close vcontacts I3 and I4 as aforesaid, andlthatsaid ball-should then rebound from the bumper I2 to approach the percentage bumpers I8 and IB .in the manner of the ball indicated at B1, said ball, by reason of the illustrative, angularly-adjusted position of said bumpers, I8 and I9, shown in Fig. l, would tend to travel through the opening between the .said bumpers and 'engage the roll-over switch arm 46 to operate vsome desired scoring circuit; for example, the roll-over switch arm 46 would close contacts 52 .to complete an energizing circuit via conductor 53 `for a vrelay coil 54 the switch 55 of which, in "turn, would light na score lamp 55 or actuate .any of .a .number of conventional `scoring instrumentalities commonly used in the art. v-.ds shown .in Figa, relay switch 55 applies holding ground to the relay coil and the lamp-.for score-indication purposes, the holding circuit being broken by any Vmasterswitch means 53A, .it being .noted that the power supply c1- -battery lmeans is symbolic and .-poled in opposition for illustrative purposes.

The scoring instrumentality which islc'ontrolled by the ball switch u-52 and which is simply illustr-ated as -the score lamp 56, herein, will 'ordinarily be Ya special or high-score tdeyice in the game, and 'it is desired'lthatit be'maderelativenl dime-ult for a balllftoengage :the i-sw-itch operating arm 45, or :at times 'to block passage between the bumpers and prevent the 'bal-l at ,B1 from fengaging'the-switch :arm 8 fat all. fOr, at still lother times, it 'will be ,desirable tofchange the relative ease -or l--diiiiculty "with -which a vplayer may succeed linvcausing sa ball to .operate the high-:score switch .means '46 and -to 1 this end :it

will be apparentl-thatthe percentage bumpers adidtion, it icontroisifthefrequencytof, orperlt will 'be understood that .fapluralityzoffthe =percentage bumper "units may'ibe employed ima single Vgame 'and that -means other than :the Abumper switch it-etIS-d' ilmay Ybe .utilized :for ze'ecting fa periodiefmr zr-andom ener'gization `of the a'ctuatinglsole'noid 40. :For example, :contacts I3 and I4 might be operated by a coinfslde` in the coin-controlled variety ofamapr fsupplermented yby iditional ball-bumper for :roll-over contacts in parallel therewith.

We'claim:

l. In a ball rolling game, a iirst ball operated switch, a second ball operated switch and score means controlled thereby, at least two pivoted ball bumpers guarding said second switch to deflect balls moving relative thereto, electrically actuated pivoting means controlled by said first switch for jointly pivoting said bumpers in steps of determined magnitude, said bumpers being pivotable in steps as aforesaid between limits in one of which said bumpers are turned substantially together to block approach of a ball to said second switch from a certain direction, and in another of which said bumpers are turned away from eachother to open said approach.

2. A percentageY ball bumper structure comprising a pair of elongated bumpers both piv- .otally mounted near their centers for motion about parallel axes, electromagnetic means for oscillating one of said bumpers, and a driving connection between said one bumper and the other bumper :such that the two bumpers pivot relatively to their respective long axes toward kand away from each other responsive to ,oscillation `of said one bumper, each bumper having an end portion spaced from its pivot and from the like end portion of the 'other bumper Awhen the bumpers are pivoted a certain amount toward each :other to block .passage of a ball therebetween.

3. A `ball bumper structure comprising a jpair of bumper-s spaced and pivoted for vconvergent :and divergent movement to open and'close a ball passage, mechanism for pivoting one 4of said bumpers, and means -drivingly interconnecting .said one bumper with the other-for simultaneous but reverse motion relative thereto to effect convergent and divergent movement as aforesaid.

4. A bumper .structure in accordance with vclaim 3 in which said interconnecting means .comprises meshed gears coaxially rotatable with lsaid bumpers, and vsaid pivoting mechanism comprises an electromagnetically and intermittently stepped pawl :and ratchet t'meanslinlted with one of .said .gears to Yoscilla-te the latter through :a .predetermined range.

'5. Ina ball rolling game, thecombination with .a playing field having a ball-operated roll-over switch member therein, :of percentage bumper means comprising at least two lelongated bumpers .piuoted near their vcenters, on opposite sides .of

V`to pivoting .of the bumpers, Ytoward `and laway from .the corresponding eccentric 4portion oi the other 'andsaidswitchmember to narrow `or widen the passageway therebetween -foraball approachingsaid switch member, .and .mechanism for move.ing .said bumpers yin intermittent steps, con-vergently and divergently inpassajgeway 'widening aand narrowing action -as aforesaid. Y

6. The combination of -olai-m .5 further charac- 'eterized in A:that said moving .mechanism includes an electromagnetic drivingl device and drive vrneclxanisrn actuated-thereby for moving said lbumpers :as set forth, and in that'there is ,profwiided anenergizingcircuit for said :driving ,device ,including Aa :ball-.operated .switch Isituated for :actuation by .a ball :moving `in said eld :and

frelative .to-.said bumpers.

.7.111 aball-.rolling-game including a ball-operatedcswitch lmember sihiatedV in a playing Afield, iadjustable bumper means vdisposed .in said neld in a path of approach of a ball relative to said switch member comprising a pair of elongated bumpers each pivoted near its center for rotative movement about an axis parallel to the axis of the other, said axes being spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of a ball intended for use therewith such that When said bumpers are pivoted into relative parallelism they deiine a vpassage through which said ball can pass freely,

said bumpers being of a length such that Vcorresponding end portions thereof can be convergently positioned by pivoting of the bumpers for comp1etely as Well as partially closing said passage, and mechanism jointly pivoting said bumpers for positioning as aforesaid.

RAYMOND T. MOLONEY.

HERMAN L. SEIDEN.

References Cited in the file Of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,885,036 Gravatt -f Oct. 25, 1932 k 2,094,633 Breitenstein Oct. 5, 1937 2,199,327 Ahrens Apr. 30, 1940 

